KATHMANDU, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Charmed by its "cute little fluffy face," Raunak Byanjankar, a Nepali boy aged 14, on Sunday adopted a mona monkey from the Central Zoo in Kathmandu, becoming the youngest participant in the zoo's "Adopt an Animal" campaign.
"When he heard about the adoption, he started Googling about the species available on the zoo's website and instantaneously decided to adopt mona monkey, as he was attracted by its cute little fluffy face," said Ramita Byanjankar, the boy's mother who is working as a conservation educator.
Though the Nepali capital city has been battered twice by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central Zoo, situated near the center of the city, has been continuing its rescue, rehabilitation, conservation and veterinarian services.
"To make sure that all animals are cared for with the same dedication amid the COVID-19 chaos, we have kept all infrastructural development, renovations and programs on hold," Lina Chalise, the zoo's conservation education and information officer, told Xinhua.
However, the oldest zoo in Nepal saw its revenues shrink to 80 million Nepali rupees (686,460 U.S. dollars) last year from past annual incomes of more than 140 million rupees (1.2 million dollars), as it has remained closed for ten months.
In the face of financial constraints, the zoo launched the year-long "Adopt an Animal" campaign under the theme of "Share Your Care" on the occasion of its 25th anniversary, which fell on March 3 when World Wildlife Day was marked.
The campaign was inaugurated by then Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his wife Radhika Shakya, and the pair adopted a horned rhinoceros named Biru for one year.
Recently, Nepal's Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana selected a pair of tigers named "Jagati" and "Pratab." The five-year-old "Jagati," a female, and "Pratab," an eight-year-old male, were rescued from Nepal's Chitwan National Park and Parsa National Park respectively and had been kept together since.
"We didn't know how long the COVID-19-related restrictions would last, so we decided to move on the donation mode and initiated this campaign which is not just about raising funds but also creating conservation awareness in the community," said Chalise.
"As part of this program, adopting animals of one's choice can make a big difference in the conservation, welfare and promotion of the wildlife," she added.
By initiating different programs, the "Adopt an Animal" campaign aimed to include people from different walks of life, including politicians, celebrities and the general public.
Byanjankar, the 44-year-old mother, was so fascinated by the campaign that she went on advocating it in her circle and ended up having five animals adopted by her family.
Now the family members "are showing off their adopted animals on social media platforms and asking their friends to adopt their favorite animals," she said. "As a conservationist, I feel genuinely great to see a growing number of animal lovers."
Around 50 people have already adopted different animals from the Central Zoo sheltering 997 animals of 113 species, which cost about 30 million rupees (257,420 dollars) annually.
"Most of the people think that adoption means they can take the wild animals to home, but that's not true," Chalise said. "The campaign aims to raise funds for animals, as the adopters will contribute to the feeding, enrichment, nourishment and medication of the animals for one full year and be part of the Central Zoo's efforts in wildlife conservation."
The adopters can gift an animal to their friends, parents, children or relatives. Currently, the adoption is limited to Nepali nationals, but the zoo is working to introduce an electronic payment system so that foreigners can join the campaign.
According to Chalise, foreigners can adopt animals of their choice in the next two weeks.
The adopters will also see their names listed on a "Wall of Adoption" to be built after the campaign ends, on top of a certificate, a letter of acknowledgment, and a membership enabling them to visit the zoo without an entrance fee for a year. Enditem
